Elder Fraud in Wyoming

Andrea Estell Cochran, a 51-year-old from Houston, was arrested and charged with federal bank fraud after using forged passports to impersonate account holders and withdraw approximately $11,000 from multiple banks across Washington state and Maine in 2024. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison plus additional state charges, with a plea deal hearing scheduled for August 28, 2025. A separate study by VPNPro found that seniors aged 60 and older across all U.S. states lost significant sums to fraud in 2022, with losses ranging from approximately $3 million to $31 million per state, highlighting the widesprea

Andrea Estell Cochran, a 51-year-old from Houston, was arrested and charged with federal bank fraud after using fake passports to impersonate account holders and withdraw approximately $11,000 from multiple Washington state banks in 2024, with similar attempts in Maine; she faces up to 30 years in prison and state charges across multiple Washington counties. Additionally, a VPNPro study reveals that seniors aged 60 and over across all U.S. states lost substantial sums to fraud in 2022, with per-victim losses ranging from $13,118 to $30,150 depending on the state, highlighting seniors as prime targets for scammers

On June 18, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes partnered with the Better Business Bureau to launch an educational campaign featuring four PSA videos designed to help Arizona residents—particularly seniors—recognize and avoid common scams. The campaign addresses fraudulent celebrity scams using AI deepfakes, moving company hostage loads, cryptocurrency scams (which cost Scottsdale residents over $5 million recently), and AI-based scams, with Arizona residents losing approximately $392 million to consumer fraud in 2024.

A California court of appeals ruled that Kevin Scott Gray, a 73-year-old convicted child molester who has admitted to molesting 25 children, may be released into a Turlock residence despite initial concerns about a neighboring home school. The Fifth District Court of Appeals determined that a registered home-school does not qualify as a "school" under state law for purposes of the statute barring sexually violent predators from living within a quarter-mile of schools, overturning a lower court's halt on Gray's release. Gray, who has been held at the Department of State Hospitals since 2002, faces additional hearings and a public forum before his potential release, while community members continue efforts to block

Pennsylvania State Representative Tina Pickett held an annual Senior Expo in Athens to educate seniors on protecting themselves from scams, featuring speakers on healthcare, benefits, secure banking, and Medicare, as well as free document shredding services. According to the National Council on Aging, seniors over 60 lost $3.4 billion combined to scams in 2023, with fraud threats including identity theft and financial exploitation that can damage victims' credit and finances.

Romance and confidence fraud caused $601 million in damages to 16,504 victims across the United States in 2023, with an average loss of $36,459 per victim. Idaho was hit hardest, with 112 victims losing $6.9 million ($61,784 per person), while scammers posing as online pen pals or relatives in distress targeted victims primarily through email and social media. Elderly victims aged 60 and older comprised approximately 40% of victims and suffered $365.9 million in losses.

Two Chinese nationals, Jian Chen and Rihui Yan, were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for defrauding elderly Americans; Chen conned a 63-year-old woman out of $42,000 and attempted to obtain nearly $100,000 more in New York, while Yan targeted a Wyoming County couple attempting to steal their $20,000 life savings. Both suspects are being held without bond pending removal, and a third Chinese national was previously arrested on similar fraud charges in October 2024.

ICE arrested Chinese national Jian Chen in New York on grand larceny charges, marking the second arrest of a Chinese national for similar fraud in the state within three months. Chen is part of a larger fraud ring that defrauded approximately 300 victims across 37 states, stealing over $5 million with suspected fraudulent funds totaling more than $16 million; two other members, Rihui Yan and Hui Chen, were arrested on related charges for targeting elderly individuals, including an attempt to defraud an elderly couple of $20,000 and another elderly resident of $40,000.

Older adults lost nearly $5 billion to fraud and scams in 2024, with losses increasing 41% from $3.4 billion in 2023 and average individual losses reaching $83,000, according to a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging report. The report highlights an alarming rise in AI-powered schemes and traditional fraud methods including imposter scams, investment fraud, healthcare scams, and gift card fraud, with cryptocurrency losses alone reaching nearly $3 billion. The number of older adults reporting fraud jumped 43% in 2024, prompting calls for increased federal protection and consumer education initiatives.

According to the FTC's October 2024 report, Americans lost an estimated $158.3 billion to scams in 2023 (approximately $433 million daily), with roughly 21 million U.S. citizens successfully scammed annually after adjusting for significant under-reporting. The top scams include investment fraud (often initiated through fake text messages leading to cryptocurrency schemes), fake job postings on legitimate employment sites, romance scams enhanced by AI deepfakes, tech support scams impersonating major tech companies, and fake vendor schemes.

This compilation of scam alerts documents multiple phishing and fraud schemes targeting individuals and organizations: a DocuSign phishing scam redirects victims to a Canva site potentially hosting malware like ScreenConnect; a "phantom payment" email uses hidden text to disguise phishing attempts; a fake "healthcare award" scam impersonates selection for professional programs to solicit video calls; and the University of Wyoming reported voicemail phishing emails with deceptive subject lines and non-audio file attachments. The alerts emphasize that mobile scams are increasingly prevalent, with half of US and UK mobile users encountering scams daily, and advise users to verify sender addresses, avoid clicking

Multiple states are warning residents about text message scams impersonating state motor vehicle agencies and demanding payment for fraudulent traffic violations or unpaid tolls, threatening driver's license revocation if victims don't pay. The scam has been reported across at least 17 states and represents an evolution of earlier toll-payment scams; the FBI reports text-based scams accounted for $470 million in losses in 2024, with toll scams alone generating $129,624 from nearly 60,000 complaints. State authorities advise residents not to click suspicious links and to contact their state motor vehicle departments directly if they receive threatening messages about unpaid traffic violations.

Eloy Martinez nearly fell victim to a sponsorship scam by Elite Sports Promotions, which falsely claimed to represent East High School in Cheyenne and solicited $300 for advertising space on T-shirts. Martinez avoided the fraud by verifying directly with the school principal, who confirmed no affiliation with the company; police and the Better Business Bureau have received multiple complaints about Elite Sports Promotions, which holds an "F" rating with 38 complaints over three years and losses ranging from $300 to over $10,000, with victims reporting merchandise and promised items never materializing.

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State Rep. Tina Pickett and Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters hosted a free educational seminar on May 9 in Tunkhannock to help residents recognize and avoid scams, particularly targeting seniors. The event featured Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities coordinator George Dillman, who presented information on common scams and included an interactive "Fraud Bingo" game to teach fraud prevention strategies. The seminar was part of an ongoing effort to educate the public as scammers become increasingly aggressive and deceptive.